Based on Holly Jackson’s popular book series, the BBC thriller show A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows a high school teenager, Pip, who decides to solve an unsolved murder in town that has been bugging her for five years now. In the past, a high school senior named Andie disappeared without a trace. The police presumed her dead, but no one ever found her body. Soon after her disappearance, her boyfriend Sal’s died by suicide. However, what came as a surprise was the fact that Sal left a text on his dad’s number in which he confessed to Andie’s murder. Now, the entire town believes him to be the murderer, except for Pip, who thinks otherwise. Pip turned the entire town upside down just to catch the killer and get to the bottom of the truth. So, without further ado, let’s explore the cast and characters to get to know their roles in the series better.
Spoilers Ahead
Pip
Played by Emma Myers, Pip is a regular high school senior with great ambitions. She wants to move out of town and join an Ivy League school. Well, actually her mother wants it for her, but you get it how it is. You might remember Emma’s unforgettable performance as Enid Sinclair in Netflix’s series Wednesday. To be honest, she was an absolute treat to watch! Here in this series, we see her play Pip as someone who is known for her dedication to doing what’s right and protecting those she cares about. When Sal confessed to murdering his girlfriend Andie and then committed suicide, Pip couldn’t believe it. She knew Sal well and was convinced he wasn’t capable of committing such a crime. So she was determined to uncover the truth and clear Sal’s name. Pip teamed up with Ravi, Sal’s brother, and started her investigation. Throughout the series, we see her creating charts, questioning everyone involved with both Andie and Sal’s lives, and even breaking into places to find clues. Pip got numerous threats along the way and even lost her dog, who was killed to intimidate her and stop her from finding the truth. But Pip didn’t give up. She continued her pursuit of the truth until she uncovered the whole story. By the end of the show, Pip decided she needed to make her own choices in life, not just do what others expected of her. This showed how strong and grown-up she had become.
Ravi
Zain Iqbal played Ravi, who was like Watson to Pip’s Sherlock Holmes in solving the mystery of the high school students. Initially, Ravi thought Pip’s investigation was just a way for her to pass the time. But as he saw how determined she was to clear Sal’s name and bring justice to his brother, he realized how serious she was. Ravi helped by pointing out a crucial detail: the difference in Sal’s texting style before and after Andie disappeared. This showed someone else had likely written the confession about Andie’s murder, not Sal. Throughout the investigation, Ravi stood by Pip’s side. When Sal was proven innocent and the truth came out, Ravi felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He was relieved, but also ready to leave town for a fresh start. However, Ravi couldn’t leave because he had developed feelings for Pip. In the end, they both admitted their feelings were mutual, and Ravi decided to stay in town to be with Pip.
Max
I would say that Max was the mastermind behind a series of crimes that shook everyone involved. He had a reputation as a womanizer and a drug addict. He often used to buy drugs from Andie. He even molested Andie’s sister, Becca, after drugging her. On New Year’s Eve, Max was responsible for a drunk driving incident that resulted in a hit-and-run. To cover up his own wrongdoing, he threatened Dan, a police officer, that he would expose Dan’s affair with fifteen-year-old young Andie, which is a crime, so that it would jeopardize Dan’s career. It was like, if he went down, he would drag everyone down with him. Max’s actions forced others to lie, as they claimed Sal wasn’t with them on the night of Andie’s disappearance to protect Max from the consequences. Despite these heinous crimes and falsely accusing others, Max walked free without guilt as he went about his life as if nothing had happened. Before Max could commit more crimes, I wish Pip would bring him to justice by collecting evidence against him. Yes, it was true that Max wasn’t directly responsible for Sal’s or Andie’s deaths, but his manipulative schemes made him equally responsible for the crimes.
Naomi
Yasmin Al-Khudhairi plays the role of Naomi, who was Pip’s best friend, Cara’s sister, and also Sal’s closest friend. After dealing with the guilt for so long, she finally found the courage to reveal the truth to Pip. Accusing her best friend Sal of a crime he didn’t commit weighed heavily on Naomi’s. She had originally gone along with framing Sal to cover up Max’s hit-and-run crime, as she feared their secrets would be exposed. But Naomi reached a breaking point. She couldn’t bear the guilt anymore, even if it meant facing jail time. Her sense of morality drives her to help Pip uncover the truth and prove Sal’s innocence. She told Pip about the false confession they told the police, where they said Sal wasn’t with them the night Andie disappeared. But she showed Pip a picture that Sal had taken of Naomi and Max the night of Andie’s disappearance, which proves that Sal was with them the whole time and couldn’t have committed the crime.
Elliot
Elliot Ward was a complex character. He is the one responsible for Sal’s death. At first, he seemed like a respectable English teacher and father figure to many. But beneath that facade, he hid this dark secret for five long years with his manipulative, cunning tactics. Elliot Ward framed Sal for the murder of Andie and manipulated evidence to make it seem like Sal was guilty by threatening Sal’s friends, even his own daughter, into lying to the police. He did this to protect his own reputation and cover up his affair with Andie, as he feared the consequences if the truth came out. Elliot Ward killed Sal by making him swallow lots of sleeping pills. He even cold-bloodedly talked to Sal about the future of going to a university he couldn’t have, knowing it was a lie. He said he did it so Sal’s last thoughts would be positive, as if that justifies everything. But he never confessed because he didn’t want his daughters to suffer because of his crimes. Who would have thought a father or a teacher like him could commit such a crime? Certainly not me, and not even Pip! This shows that sometimes the people we trust the most commit crimes that we don’t even expect.
Becca
Carla Woodcock played the role of Becca. Becca is the killer of Andie, her own sister. She didn’t murder her sister cold-bloodedly, but what she did afterward to cover up her crime would definitely chill your blood. Becca told her sister that she had been molested by Max, who was Andie’s friend. She wanted support from Andie, as she hoped Andie would help her confess this incident to the police and bring Max to justice. Instead, when Andie admitted she had sold Max the drugs he’d used on Becca, Becca became furious. Andie refused to turn Max in to the authorities, which angered Becca even more. Feeling unsupported, Becca pushed Andie, which sadly killed her. Becca stood silently as she watched it happen, then dragged and dumped Andie’s body in a well so no one would find out. Even after confessing her crime to Pip, Becca wanted to throw her into the well too, just like she did with Andie. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Becca was eventually arrested, and the mystery of the murder was finally solved.
